Imagine Climate Dignity

The topical starting point of this project is a broad interpretation of dignity that does not limit to human dignity, but includes the dignity of nature, all living beings, and all available resources.

Climate dignity thus means that all people have the right to live in a world in which their health, freedom, and livelihoods are not impacted by climate change. In terms of climate justice, this applies in particular to those people, communities, and countries that are or will be most affected by the impacts of climate change and who are therefore particularly deserving of protection. Climate dignity also highlights the fact that the effects of human-caused climate change and the associated loss of biodiversity not only threaten human dignity but also endanger the entirety of nature. This puts the concept underpinning climate dignity – that it is about more than human relationships, but rather about the mutual dependence of humans and nature – front and centre: Those who violate the dignity of nature also damage human dignity.

In late 2023, artists living and working in Austria were invited to submit art concepts for this group of topics in cooperation with self-selected international colleagues and for 14 destinations within the network of Austrian cultural foreign relations: Belgrade, Brussels, Istanbul, Cairo, London, Madrid, New Delhi, New York, Beijing, Prague, Rome, Sarajevo, Tokyo, and Warsaw. The projects selected by a jury of experts (Silvie Aigner, Günther Oberhollenzer, Tanja Prušnik, Deborah Sengl, and Christoph Thun-Hohenstein) will be shown at each of their selected destinations over the course of 2024/2025. The current exhibition at the Künstlerhaus in Vienna presents all the resulting works together in a group show. The exhibition shows that Climate Dignity is not just a concept but an obligation to act. The research of the participating artists and the works they produce can lead the way, with knowledge and courage, in resisting the ongoing devastation of our world.

IMAGINE CLIMATE DIGNITY is the second edition of the BMEIA’s international call for artists, a project launched in 2021 under the title ON THE ROAD AGAIN during the Corona crisis. The concept for IMAGINE CLIMATE DIGNITY is from DDr. Christoph Thun-Hohenstein.

ARTISTS

Nicoleta Auersperg, Anca Benera & Arnold Estefán, Sabine Bitter, Pavel Brăila, Ahmet Civelek, Luiza Crosman, Natalia Domínguez Rangel, Andreas Duscha, Nicola Fornoni, Nicolas Freytag, Nikolaus Gansterer, Mariella Greil, Christoph Höschele, Nona Inescu, Victor Jaschke, Selbi Jumayeva, Mathias Kessler, Kinga Kiełczyńska, Ada Kobusiewicz, Peter Kozek, Wolfgang Lehrner, Ernst Logar, Alberto Lomas, Huda Lutfi, Do Mayer, Jelena Micić, Radenko Milak, Mladen Miljanović, Werner Moebius, mirko nikolić, Bianca Pedrina, Oliver Ressler, Sylvia Scheidl, Claudia Schioppa, Lucie Strecker, Studio Takamatsu, Leo Trotsenko, Pokret Tvrđava, Alisa Verbina, VestAndPage, Javier Viana, Olha Vinichenko, Kay Walkowiak, Christoph Weber, Helmut Weber, Andreas Wesle

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
Concept: Christoph Thun-Hohenstein

Project Lead: Simon Mraz

BMEIA: Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, Oliver Eichinger, Martin Freissmuth, Katharina Hobel, Thomas Kloiber, Regina Rusz

Jury: Silvie Aigner, Günther Oberhollenzer, Tanja Prušnik, Deborah Sengl, Christoph Thun-Hohenstein

Website and Graphic Identity Design and Implementation: Jan Vranovsky, Chiawen Vranovsky

Please find more information on the call here: www.ontheroadcall.at

EXHIBITION

Curators: Barbara Höller, Simon Mraz

Organisation: Peter Gmachl

Production: Vinzent Cibulka, Leila Dizdarević, Art Consulting & Production

Communication, PR, Art Education: Alexandra Gamrot, Nikolett Hernádi, Julia Kornhäusl, Mirjam Prochazka, Hannah Walter, Alice Weber

Executive Director: Klaus Slamanig

Artistic Director: Günther Oberhollenzer

Accounting: Gerlinde Engelberger, Sabine Nüssel

Members of the Board: Tanja Prušnik, Georg Lebzelter, Uta Heinecke, Lena Knilli, Holger Lang, Michael Wegerer

Special thanks to the teams of the Künstlerhaus Vereinigung and the Austrian Ministry for European and International Affairs, in particular Luise Arnhof-Haller, Oliver Eichinger, Martin Freissmuth, Katharina Hobel, Thomas Kloiber, Angelina Migsich, Günther Oberhollenzer, Tamara Pavic, Tanja Prušnik, Regina Rusz, Klaus Slamanig, Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, Rupert Weinmann; all artists who submitted their ideas and concepts to the call for proposals; all the leaders and team members of the participating cultural fora.